Daniel Thompson (poet)

Daniel Thompson (1935 – May 6, 2004) was a Cleveland poet, civil rights activist and advocate for the homeless. Thompson became the first Poet Laureate for Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

Daniel Thompson performed on the 1996 CD "Genetic Memory" with percussionist Sam Phillips. Featuring the cut, "Tell Chief Wahoo", a commentary against the use of the Chief Wahoo logo by the Cleveland Indians, the "Genetic Memory" CD sold several thousand copies in the Cleveland area, and landed Sam Phillips an appearance on "The Howard Stern Show". In 1998 Daniel released a second CD, "Famous In The Neighborhood", as a companion piece to a poetry chapbook of the same name. On the CD, Daniel is backed by 2 Cleveland jazz legends, saxophonist Ernie Krivda, and (the late) guitarist Bill D'Arango, who joined Daniel for a 1998 showcase at The Jim Clevo Stage. Daniel also performed at The JCS in August 1998 as a special guest of the group Hostile Omish; clips of that performance are seen in the 2008 DVD documentary "Saints In The City", produced by Sam Phillips for Liberation Brew TV and widely featured on YouTube. A 2005 cover story in the now-defunct Cleveland Free Times, entitled, "Who Owns Daniel?", addressed the disputes over the ownership rights to Daniel's poems and recordings which arose after Daniel's death. Thompson also toured with the Cleveland percussion group Drumplay.

Thompson was an organizer of Junkstock, a poetry, art and music festival in the 80s. The highly acclaimed festival was held in a junk yard on Pearl Road in Cleveland. Thompson organized Cleveland's first poetry slam in 1992.

In 1992 Thompson was declared Poet Laureate of Cuyahoga County. The big book of Daniel: collected poems of Daniel Thompson edited by Maj Ragain, is published by Bottom Dog Press in 2011.

Thompson contributed poems to the Homeless Grapevine newspaper and wall calendar. The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless used these items to raise money. He protested against the name of the Cleveland "Indians" and their use of the "Chief Wahoo" logo. His poem "Tell Chief Wahoo" was used on t-shirts to promote awareness by the Committee of 500 Years of Dignity and Resistance. In 1986, Thompson organized readings at the Justice center.